Geography

 Central area of southern Mexico to the northern part
of central America.
 Thick Tropical forests with cleared areas where the
Mayans farmed.
Religion

 The Maya worshipped many gods,
including a creator, a sun god, a moon
goddess, and a maize god. Each god
controlled a part of their daily lives.
 Gods could be harmful and spiteful so
the Mayans tried to appease them with
blood sacrifices. They would pierce
their ears, nose and tongues to prevent
disasters. On religious holidays they
would offer human sacrifices. These
were mostly warriors who fought
against the Mayans.
Religion Continued

 Maya Temples were shaped like mountains, which
the Maya considered sacred because they allowed
people to approach the gods.
Achievements

 Observatories- buildings from
which people could study the
sky so the priests could watch
the stars and plan for their
religious festivals.
 Astronomy- Developed two
separate calendars, one with
365 days that guided planting
and harvesting. A second to
keep track of their religious
holidays.
Achievements
Continued

 Math- created a complex number system and were
among the first to have a symbol for zero.
 Writing system- Similar to the Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Represented both sounds and objects.
 Art- Jade and gold jewelry was exceptional and
temple-pyramids were masterly built. They rolled
the giant blocks on logs and then used ropes to pull
them up.
Politics(Government)

 The Mayans developed a hierarchical government
ruled by kings and priests. They lived in
independent city-states consisting of rural
communities and large urban ceremonial
centers. There were no standing armies, but
warfare played an important role in religion, power
and prestige.
Economics

 The Maya did not use "money" in the modern sense:
 Even valuable items, such as cacao seeds
salt, obsidian or gold tended to vary in value from
one region or city-state to another
Economics

 There were two kinds of goods
commercialized by the Maya:
prestige items and subsistence
items. Prestige items were
things like jade, gold, copper,
highly decorated pottery, ritual
items and any other lesspractical item used as a status
symbol by upper-class Maya.
 Subsistence items were those
used on a daily basis: food,
clothing, tools, basic pottery,
salt, etc.
Social Structure

 Maya society was
rigidly divided between
nobles, commoners,
serfs, and slaves. The
noble class was complex
and specialized. Noble
status and the
occupation in which a
noble served were
passed on through elite
family lineages.